An Algorithmic Pipeline for GDPR-Compliant Healthcare Data Anonymisation: Moving Toward Standardisation
Research Source
High-quality real-world data (RWD) is essential for healthcare but must be transformed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPRs broad definitions of quasi-identifiers (QIDs) and sensitive attributes (SAs) complicate implementation. We aim to standardise RWD anonymisation…
Executive Summary
This research paper examines a critical privacy challenge related to LINKABILITY — the ability to connect two pieces of information to the same person.
cloak.business addresses this through 390+ entity types with multi-layer detection accessible across Web App and additional platforms.
Root Cause: SD1 — LINKABILITY
The ability to connect two pieces of information to the same person. This is the foundational operation that makes PII dangerous. Nearly every pain point is an expression of linkability being created, exploited, or failing to be broken.
Irreducible truth: You cannot have useful data that is completely unlinkable AND completely useful. The very features that make data informative make it linkable. This is not a bug — it is information theory. The information content of a dataset and its linkability are the same property measured differently.
The Solution: How cloak.business Addresses This
Detection Capabilities
cloak.business identifies 390+ entity types including names, emails, SSNs, IBANs, passports, medical records, and country-specific identifiers. The dual-layer (317 custom regex + NLP) architecture uses 317 custom regex recognizers with context-aware NLP disambiguation for maximum entity coverage.
Anonymization Methods
Redact is recommended for this pain point: completely removing fingerprint-contributing values eliminates the data points that algorithms combine into unique identifiers. Replace provides an alternative — substituting with non-unique alternatives prevents cross-device correlation while preserving document readability. For scenarios requiring reversibility, Encrypt (AES-256-GCM) enables authorized recovery of original values.
Architecture & Deployment
The REST API (Basic plan+) provides programmatic PII detection with Bearer token auth — the most accessible API entry point in the ecosystem.
Compliance Mapping
This pain point intersects with GDPR Article 5(1)(c) data minimization, ePrivacy Directive tracking consent.
cloak.business's GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 compliance coverage, combined with EU data centers hosting, provides documented technical measures organizations can reference in their compliance documentation and regulatory submissions.
Product Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform Version | v2.1 |
| Entity Types | 390+ |
| Accuracy | 96%+ |
| Languages | 48 |
| Anonymization Methods | Replace, Redact, Mask, Hash, Encrypt (AES-256-GCM) |
| Platforms | Web App, API, Desktop, Browser Extension |
| Pricing | Free, Pro €25, Enterprise custom |
| Hosting | EU data centers |
| Compliance | GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 |